International Training and Demonstration Exercise on Mountain Rescue Held in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia 9-11 September 2025

From 9 to 11 September 2025, an international training and demonstration exercise on mountain rescue was successfully held at Hotel Špik in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. The event was organized within the framework of the Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative for South Eastern Europe (DPPI SEE).

The training was hosted by the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, in close cooperation with the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia, and represents Slovenia’s contribution to the 2025 Disaster Management Training Programme (DMTP) under the DPPI SEE initiative.

A total of 19 participants from 9 DPPI SEE member countries took part in the training. The primary objective was to provide participants with the knowledge and practical skills required for a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles and practices of mountain rescue operations.

As part of the programme, a demonstration helicopter rescue exercise was conducted in Mojstrana, showcasing real-life techniques and inter-agency cooperation in mountain rescue missions.

The training not only strengthened participants’ operational capacities but also contributed to regional cooperation and the exchange of expertise among civil protection and disaster management professionals in South Eastern Europe.

From May 13 to 17, 2024, the "Basic Training for Rescue Dogs and Dog Handlers" took place in Jagodina, Republic of Serbia. This training was a collaborative effort between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Slovenia as part of the Disaster Management Training Programme for 2024. It was organized by the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief and the Sector for Emergency Management of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia.
The training aimed to equip participants with basic knowledge and skills for working with young dogs and to introduce them to emergency situations such as earthquakes, explosions, collapsing buildings, and open area searches for injured or missing persons. It included both theoretical and practical components and was conducted at the abandoned "Juhor" AD company building and in the Kučaj-Beljanica National Park.
The event was attended by 20 experts from seven DPPI SEE countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia.

In the context of the preparations for DPPI FLEX 2023 simulation exercise in October a training on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles was organized in Jastrebarsko, Croatia from 01-03 July 2023. The training was aimed for the participants to the exercise and captured both theoretical and practical segments of drone operations. This training was supported by the Civil Protection Directorate of Republic of Croatia in cooperation with lecturers and instructors from the Maritime Faculty in Rijeka, the Faculty of Organization and Informatics in Varaždin, the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency and the Croatian Air Navigation Control. Total number of 27 participants attended this training in Croatia.

The planning process for DPPI FLEX 2023 continued with the 2nd Planning conference that was held in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 20-21 June 2023. Prior the conference and as part of the preparation process two trainings were completed (Sphere in Urban Settings and Get Airports Ready for Disasters) and one is scheduled for July (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The conference was used to refine the exercise structure and the scenario and also visit the exercise locations. DPPI FLEX 2023 will be a simulation exercise designed around flood response operations by testing capabilities of domestic and international drone teams with additional tasks regarding camp management and logistics operations. The 3rd and Final planning conference is scheduled for 19-20 September again in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Get Airports Ready for Disaster’ (GARD) is a public-private partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Deutsche Post DHL (DP DHL) to prepare airports as logistics hubs in the event of disaster, The three-day event of the internationally recognized training program Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD Plus) was concluded yesterday in Sarajevo. The aim of the program is to strengthen resilience to disasters caused by natural hazards (floods, earthquakes, fires and landslides), in which airports play a critical role in channeling humanitarian teams and relief goods quickly to people and communities in need. The GARD program was conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time in 2018. The kick-off phase of the program was presented by the Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) together with Sarajevo International Airport, the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as humanitarian response experts.

GARD Plus is a follow up measure initiated by Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative for South-Eastern Europe (DPPI-SEE) and the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is an opportunity for the country and Sarajevo International Airport to conduct a review of the original recommendations from local participants, and for all to prepare for the simulation exercise called DPPI-FLEX at the end of 2023. Bosnia and Herzegovina is vulnerable to natural and climate related hazards such as floods, landslides, earthquakes or wildfires. Recently heavy rainfall has battered parts of the country. In 2014, the flood that impacted parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina caused heavy destruction. Sarajevo Airport played a key role in flying in relief supplies from abroad.

"The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina considers that the prevention and reduction of the risk of disasters is one of the key issues of the security of the country and the region. This is confirmed by the floods, fires, and earthquakes that Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the world are exposed to. By joining the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Bosnia and Herzegovina became part of the European concept of the protection and rescue system, which provides new inputs and obliges us to develop the system in accordance with the standards and procedures applied in the EU countries,” said Samir Agić, Assistant Minister of Protection and Rescue Sector, Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“During times of emergency and disaster airports are key to ensuring emergency aid is received in a timely manner and we are pleased to be able to partner with DPPI-SEE and Sarajevo Airport to deliver this workshop and share our knowledge and experiences with the national Disaster Management Experts,” said Kim Melville, Vice President of Humanitarian Affairs for Deutsche Post DHL Group.  

“The unprecedented complexity, severity, and scale of the risks and crises we now face calls for enhanced preparedness to minimize the risk of disaster and save lives,” said Stanislav Kim, UNDP Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor for ECIS. “Building the capacities of airports and all institutions involved to act quickly and effectively respond to crises not only benefits the communities they serve, but allows countries to continue along their paths towards resilient and sustainable development, undeterred by crisis.”

Over 25 participating officials and experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as disaster management specialists from member states of DPPI-SEE in Southeast Europe, joined the GARD Plus workshop led by Deutsche Post DHL Group and UNDP experts. During the program, participants were guided by trainers to conduct a self-assessment of the progress since 2018 at the Airport and update specific recommendations to ensure that Bosnia and Herzegovina is kept up to date and well-prepared for any potential disasters. The disaster management specialists will also take these lessons learnt and apply them to a real-life scenario in a regional simulation exercise that will be conducted at the end of 2023.

“Sarajevo International Airport is recognized and defined at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a point of departure and arrival point when it comes to major crisis situations,” said Zoran Dragičević, Director of the Security Sector at Sarajevo International Airport. “Adequate and, above all, professional response to this obligation and privilege requires, first of all, reliable personnel and material and technical potential. We can very responsibly point out that we are ready to respond at any time to the demands that are in front of us, because we are sure that our decades of experience, which is woven into various action plans in crisis situations, will be accompanied by a motivational factor for our airport employees. The expansion of our capacities in the infrastructural context gives us additional assurance that we will not disappoint the expectations brought by possible crisis situations, we are ready to tackle any situation and justify the trust that has been placed in us as a company.”

“Airport preparedness plays key segment in all possible major disasters that could affect Bosnia and Herzegovina. In that context it’s crucial to prepare for and test the process behind requesting, sending and absorbing international assistance. The specificity of this particular workshop is that it has been followed by other DPPI SEE member states as well who have sent their representatives to Sarajevo. With that we are creating preconditions for replication of the workshop to other airports in the region of South East Europe in the years to follow,” expressed Vlatko Jovanovski, Head of the Secretariat, DPPI-SEE. 

The aim of the training was to promote ethical, inclusive, rights-based and people centered humanitarian response in urban contexts via the proper application of Sphere Standards. Total number of 15 participants from 8 DPPI SEE member states followed the training which is being implemented for the first time in a classroom format. The training audience was a mix between civil protection experts and the ones from the Red Cross societies. Some of the Sphere trainers that were produced last year also attended. This training was organized under the framework of the preparations for DPPI FLEX 2023 simulation exercise happening in October.

Cave rescue Training - 2013 was jointly organized by Croatian mountain rescue service - Commission for speleological rescue with the support of the Croatian National Protection and Rescue Directorate and by Cave rescue Service of Slovenia in the frame of DPPI SEE.

This training was already the fifth in the row. The first training was organized in 2009 in Montenegro, then in 2010 in Macedonia, in 2011 in Bulgaria and in 2012 in Slovenia. All together there were more than 100 participants from DPPI SEE member countries trained in cave rescue techniques.

Slovenian cave rescue service and Croatian mountain rescue service made an important in 2012 by applying for European funds whereby these were awarded the funds for the implementation of the European project EU Proteus (ending in December 2013. Within the project PROTEUS a large-scale exercise PARADANA 2013 was carried out in Slovenia (August 2013). In this exercise all civil protection units worked together in a scenario of an accident that occurred in the cave deep about five hundred meters. Also 150 caving rescuers from Slovenia and Croatia were participating in the exercise. The evaluators assessed the exercise as a very well implemented.

The DPPI SEE Cave rescue training was attended by 20 (twenty) cavers from: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Slovenia.

Responsible instructors: Ales Cedilnik and Marko Zibelnik from Training center for civil protection and disaster relief of Slovenija; Walter Zakrajšek , Aleš S. Stražar,  Marko Erkar and Bernard Štiglic from Cave rescue service of Slovenia and Ljubo Majica and Ivica Ćukošić  of  Croatian mountain rescue service .

This training was Republic of Turkey’s contribution to the Disaster Management Training Programme for 2012 within the scope of DPPI SEE DMTP Annual Work Plan and was hosted by Prime Ministry, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

Background:

The literal meaning of “psycho-social" is the dynamic relationship of psychological and social impacts which continuously interact with each other. On the other hand, this term can be defined as a body of multi-disciplinary services provided at every phase of the disaster cycle and entailing disaster psycho-social support; the prevention of any likely post-disaster psychological disharmony/disorder; restoring and the rehabilitation of relationships both at the family and community levels; ensuring that those affected recognize their capacities and are strengthened in the normalizing process; the increase of communal coping/relief/recovery skills in the probable future disasters and emergencies; and the provision of support to relief workers.

The three-day conference covered a variety of subjects such as, and inter alia, Environmental Safety, Technologies and Equipment for environmental assessment and protection, Emergency situations and disaster management, Environmental impact assessment and sustainable development, Environmental health, etc.

Following numerous presentations delivered by a number of speakers, both national and international, on Day I and II of the conference, a field trip with the working title “Awareness and preparedness for emergencies at local level” was organized on Day III of the conference whereby the participants were introduced to critical infrastructure elements as potential risks to community safety in Somesul Cald Valley.

The refresher training for firefighters of Montenegro was hosted and organized by the National Protection and Rescue Directorate of the Republic of Croatia and co-organized by the Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative for South Eastern Europe (DPPI SEE) from 21 to 26 October 2012 in the Firefighting Operations Centre Divulje near Split as the second of two refresher trainings with respect to wildfires management (the first refresher training was organized for firefighters of Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2012).

This training was hosted and organised by the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief. The venue of the training was the Training Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, Unit Sežana (TC), Slovenia. The training represented Slovenian contribution to the DPPI SEE Disaster Management Programme 2012.
Training objectives

During the 8-day training there were 80 hours of various lessons, which took form of lectures, short demonstrations and practical work in smaller caves for consolidation of knowledge and bigger final exercise of the cave rescue activities.

Training was based on various practical exercises and theoretical knowledge, which were necessary for successful rescue activity and even for the prevention of accidents in the caves. 
Extract from contents:

• Cave conservation;
• Single rope technique – Alpine style;
• Procedures for accident in the cave;
• Examination of the victim;
• Setting up of evacuation and transport systems and learning rescue manoeuvres;
• Preparation and evacuation of a victim/stretcher;
• Planning cave rescue and importance of exercise/rescue analysis;
• Setting up rescue units for international intervention;
• Presentation of various specialties inside the rescue services.

Target audience

The programme was primarily aimed at volunteer speleologists of caving clubs, fire-fighters, police officers, soldiers, health workers and other interested protection, rescue and relief forces whose members had passed the speleologist’s examination or had completed equivalent national programmes for independent caving activity and have sufficient experience in the field with excellent knowledge of rope technique (SRT). All participants had to demonstrate in practice on the first day of training that they have the required level of knowledge.
Methodology

The training was implemented as a combined structure of theoretical lectures and practical work given and supervised by the licensed teachers and instructors from the Training Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief of the Republic of Slovenia (ACPDR). The training programme ‘’Cave Rescuer’’ is approved and signed by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia.

This training was hosted and organised by the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief and supported by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. The venue of the training was the Training Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief in Ig near Ljubljana (Slovenia). The training represented Slovenian contribution to the DPPI SEE Disaster Management Programme 2012.

Training objectives
 
At the training the participants gained theoretical knowledge and basic practical skills in the field of fire extinguishing, known as hot fire/flashover training.The training therefore improved the participants’ knowledge of basic skills and techniques of fire-fighting and basic operational procedures for indoor fires. Generally the training also intends to raise awareness on procedures and practices of fire development and behaviour in different scenarios.
 
Target audience
 
The training was intended for professional operational fire-fighters and commanders from the DPPI SEE countries (1-2 per country).
 
Methodology
 
The training was implemented as a combined structure of theoretical lectures and practical work given and supervised by the licensed teachers and instructors who were trained by the Swedish Rescue Services Agency. The training ‘’Hot Fire Training - module A’’ is proved and signed by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia.

The training was organised by the Bulgarian Federation of Speleology and Bulgarian Cave Rescue Unit, Chief Directorate Fire Safety and Civil Protection of the Ministry of Interior of Republic of Bulgaria and supported by the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (ACPDR), Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia. The training represented Bulgarian contribution to the DPPI SEE Disaster Management Training Programme 2011

 
Training objectives
During the 8-day training there were 80 hours of various lessons, which took form of lectures, short demonstrations, practical work in smaller caves for consolidation of knowledge and bigger final exercise of the cave rescue activities.

 

Training was based on various practical exercises and theoretical knowledge, necessary for successful rescue activity and even for the prevention of accidents in the caves.

Extract from contents

 

 
Cave conservation

Single rope technique – Alpine style

Procedures for accident in the cave

Examination of the victim

Setting up of evacuation and transport systems and learning rescue manoeuvres

Preparation and evacuation of a victim/stretcher

Planning cave rescue and importance of exercise/rescue analysis

Setting up rescue units for international intervention

Presentation of various specialities inside the rescue services
Target audience

The programme was primarily aimed at volunteer speleologists of caving clubs, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, health workers and other interested protection, rescue and relief forces whose members had passed the speleologist’s examination or had completed equivalent national programmes for independent caving activity and had sufficient experience in the field with excellent knowledge of rope technique (SRT). All participants had to demonstrate in practice on the first day of training that they had the required level of knowledge.
Methodology

The training was implemented as a combined structure of theoretical lectures and practical work given and supervised by the licensed teachers and instructors from the Training Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief of the Republic of Slovenia of ACPDR. The training programme ‘’Cave Rescuer’’ is approved and signed by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia. 

The training was conducted at the Training Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief in Ig near Ljubljana (Slovenia) and it was hosted by the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief and supported by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.

The training represented Slovenian contribution to the DPPI SEE Disaster Management Training Programme 2011. Training objectives At the training the participants gained theoretical knowledge and basic practical skills in the field of fire extinguishing, known as hot fire/flashover training. The training therefore improved the participants’ knowledge of basic skills and techniques of fire-fighting and basic operational procedures for indoor fires. Generally the training also intends to raise awareness on procedures and practices of fire development and behaviour in different scenarios. Target audience The training was intended for professional operational fire-fighters and commanders from the DPPI SEE countries (1-2 per country).

It was attended by representatives of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania and Turkey Methodology The training was implemented as a combined structure of theoretical lectures and practical work given and supervised by the licensed teachers and instructors who were trained by the Swedish Rescue Services Agency. The training ‘’Hot Fire Training - module A’’ is proved and signed by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia.

The course was organised within the DPPI SEE/ Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI)/ Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) DRR project (Phase II) and hosted by Croatian National Protection and Rescue Directorate. The course at the same time represented Croatian contribution to the DPPI SEE Disaster Management Training Programme 2011. The aim of the course was to strike a balance between presentation skills and other aspects of training course management, from the preparation of material to running exercises; and from training needs analysis to evaluation of training, including review of training events. The event was part of capacity development project supported by CADRI and MSB aimed at supporting the development of disaster risk reduction capacity at all levels

• governments and organizations
• in the South Eastern Europe region in order to improve their ability to better understand and manage the variety of disasters faced by the region.

The training course was attended by representatives of national emergency management authorities and Red Cross Societies of Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.

Training Objectives  

The course intended to provide practical and theoretical training in  Disaster risk reduction. It was designed and run by group of experts  from DPPI states and international partner organizations, such as the  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).   
Aim of the course  

The aim of the course was to support the development of disaster risk  reduction capacity at all levels within the South East European region  governments and organizations in order to improve their ability to  better understand and manage the variety of disasters the region faces  today. All participants of the course received a training certificate. Based on  their facilitation skills, some participants from the course were  selected to participate in a Training-of-Trainers in 2011 in Croatia to  become the main resources for DRR training in the region. In addition,  they were included in a pool of DRR expert database to be developed by  UNISDR for DPPI SEE.  

 Target Audience  

The candidates had to fulfill the following criteria: - Work in an organization engaged in the area of Disaster Risk Reduction - Minimum of 3 years experience in topics related to natural disasters - Fluency in English  

The Command, Control and Coordination (C3) Course is the first in the set of activities planned within the DPPI SEE JERU project work plan. The course was organized by the Sector for Emergency Management of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia in the framework of the Initiative.

 

The main objective of the course is to prepare team leaders of JERU Flood response teams of the South East Europe for interventions in case of floods in the area of the South Eastern Europe, in addition to increasing their awareness and knowledge of the international disaster operations and enhancing their capability to lead their respective units in a multi-task and multi-stakeholder international environment. Moreover, course will provide opportunity to increase their knowledge of international response systems and coordination mechanisms and the role of team leaders in mission cycle, improve teamwork skills and integrate these in the existing national and international coordination arrangements in a disaster-affected country, as well as to discuss previous experiences in particular those where special expertise was required and/or used.

 

The course target audience are nominated team leaders of flood response teams from SEE and their replacements. Participants should have diverse background in national flood response operations and comprehensive knowledge of all team functions, comprehensive knowledge of water rescue techniques, tactics, tools and equipment and be familiar with composition of their team.

The course was organised within the DPPI SEE/ Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI)/ Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) DRR project (Phase II) and hosted by Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. The course represented Romanian contribution to the DPPI SEE Disaster Management Training Programme 2011

The aim of the course was to support the development of disaster risk reduction capacity at all levels within the South East European region governments and organizations in order to improve their ability to better understand and manage the variety of disasters the region faces nowadays.

Representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey participated in the course.

The course was organized and hosted by the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief at the Training Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief in Ig near Ljubljana (Slovenia). The course represented Slovenian contribution to the DPPI SEE Disaster Management Training Programme 2011.

 
The course objectives
The course focused on increasing participants’ effectiveness in reading and writing documents related to disaster management. After the course, participants:

• Became familiar with the basic terminology used in disaster management.
• Learned the terminology used in relevant documents and correspondence.
• Were able to read documents, such as EURATOM Acts and EU Council Decisions, and other texts related to this field, understand key points and most details.
• Were able to understand authentic European Commission Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) messages, assessments and situation reports.
• Were able to write MIC messages, assessments and short situation reports, based on given scenarios, to express ideas in a properly organized manner demonstrating a suitable control of basic grammatical structures.
• Were able to identify and correct language mistakes in the above mentioned correspondence.

 
Target audience
The course was intended for senior civil protection operational experts or advisers for international affairs that needed to understand the documents and communication in English language, particularly when they were involved in communication/correspondence in relation to provision of mutual assistance in disasters. The representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey participated in the course.